Budget bangers return to Red Star Raceway, Delmas in October for the second running of the MF Autobody 24 Hours of iLamuna – an endurance3 race for cars costing less than R50 000.

The race, supported by Insurisk insurance, fuelled by Siyanda Petroleum and driven by Tyremart and Divanti tyres will run on October 29 and 30, 2022.

Competitors can either spend around R25 000 on a crusty old car and then throw what remains at kitting it out for the track or simply spend it all on something more showroom than scrapheap and hope it manages to hold together for 24 hours of mechanical torture.

However, the full field of 71 clunkers must be safe for racing and mandatory safety equipment such as a roll-cage, racing seat, five-point harness and fire extinguisher in not included in the price cap.

Teams are encouraged to theme their entry and there are bonus laps up for grabs for those who present cars with the cleverest of liveries and odd aesthetic add-ons.

For example, last year’s race saw an old VW Golf dressed in yellow and blue like the Flying Squad of yesteryear chasing a legit single-cab tow truck around the track for hours on end.

Meanwhile, another car had a giant rocket strapped to the roof complete with a stuffed Wile E Coyote along for the ride and a crashed Audi TT competed with a trailer ratchet strap holding the bonnet down.

As with last year’s event, a spot on the starting grid is only guaranteed once teams have paid the R25 000 (excluding VAT) entry fee. While this may seem steep it does include a set of Davanti control tyres (four per team) sponsored by Tyremart Menlyn, plus 200 litres of fuel per team courtesy Siyanda Petroleum.

The MF Autobody 24 Hours of iLamuna opens for official timed practice on Friday 28 October (including a night session to get drivers’ eyes tuned in for the darkness) with the race scheduled to begin with a genuine Le Mans-style standing start on the afternoon of Saturday 29 October.